With another $7,000 (new total: $28,000), we’ll be able to make the pooping cars movie in English AND Spanish! A Spanish version will make it possible for us to spread our message of CO2-free transportation a LOT farther. There is a huge Spanish-speaking population that is not being served by the climate movement - and we want to reach those kids (and parents) too. If we meet this goal, every single backer will also get a stop-motion animation of a pooping car, made by Elliot.

I got the idea for Worse Than Poop! on Earth Day, 2013. I was biking through traffic, and I'd just learned an astonishing fact: Over 2 million pounds of CO2 gets spewed into the air every second. In fact, we are creating more than 38 billion tons of carbon dioxide pollution every year - and here in the US, almost a third of that pollution comes from transportation.

CO2 is tricky: in normal amounts, it isn't pollution - but at that scale, it is. In fact, adding such a massive amount of extra CO2 to our atmosphere threatens the climate that all life depends on. It's threatening my son's future. Heck, it's threatening my future! But how do you get people to care about a pollutant they can’t smell, or taste, or see?

Biking to work, I got an idea for a film that would be funny, engaging, and significant - for general audiences, and for kids - and that might make a difference. What if the people in the cars around me could see the carbon pollution coming out of their tailpipes? What if all that pollution looked and smelled like poop?

Poop, like CO2, can be good - if you have the right amount to sustain the life cycle. But when you have a lot, well - that's a problem. It seemed like an apt analogy. And a funny one. By making kids laugh, we could introduce them to the need for a solution. And by making parents laugh, we might engage entire families in this issue.

I shared the idea with friends and colleagues, who were all encouraging. Apparently no one has taken this approach before, although one friend did point me to this animated Japanese video about Fukushima Nuclear Boy and his poopy diaper, which got millions of hits in Japan. Another friend noted that reaching children means reaching parents. My husband also encouraged me to do it – and most importantly, our son Elliot wanted to participate. So Worse Than Poop! went from being an Idea to being a Project. And with your help, it will soon become a Movie.

“Professor” Elliot Ingle, a bespectacled 8-year old wearing a necktie and lab coat, stands at a whiteboard and explains the science behind CO2 pollution. Using a combination of live action video and animation, the whiteboard becomes an animated world in which Elliot's explanations come to life, and gas-burning cars literally "poop" out their CO2 pollution.

Starting with some basic scientific facts, “Worse than Poop” will use Next Generation Science Standards to teach the science of CO2 pollution, and explain how gas-burning cars are affecting our climate. (Why DOES a gallon of gas produce 19 pounds of CO2? How is that possible - and where does it go? And why is it bad to have all that invisible CO2 in the air?)

Then comes the potty humor. Can you imagine what it would look like if that much poop was on the road? The medium of animation will bring this absurd vision of carbon pollution to life.

The film will also cover some basic math skills. (How much poop does mom's minivan make, if she drives you three miles to school and back every day? What if she drives a Suburban? Or a Prius? Or a Leaf?) Using data from the U.S. Department of Energy's "egallon" website, Worse Than Poop! will also explore the many cost benefits of driving electric - and of taking transit, or riding a bike.

Elliot shows off his Tesla visitor's badge, on a recent tour of the Tesla Motors factory

And since every 8-year-old needs a super hero, the Green Ninja will show up to lend a hand. Providing a slew of poop-free alternatives (and a few shovels), Green Ninja helps the pooping car drivers get out of their dirty cars and start shoveling the road clear to a brighter, poop-free future. The film ends with a kid and his mom heading off down a clean new boulevard, lined with trees and gardens, filled with people walking, scooting, biking and taking transit - and the occasional EV carpool. It's a future I want for Elliot, and with your help I think we can get there.

I convinced the amazing Academy-award-nominated cinematographer Vicente Franco to film most of the live action footage of Elliot in the classroom last fall, and we have one recording session left to do. The biggest task now is creating the animation, and then editing it all together. Our Kickstarter funds will go towards:

If we make it past our goal, we have a stretch goal of $35,000, which will allow us to create a Spanish-language version of Worse Than Poop! - called ¡Peor Que Caca! If we can raise more, we'd like to make an educational iPad game. Ultimately we want to make Worse Than Poop! and ¡Peor Que Caca! widely available to schools, communities, and families - to spread the word that we have everything we need to create a clean future for our kids. We just need to say good-bye to gas-burning pooping cars.

Worse Than Poop! is a non-profit sponsored project of the Filmmakers Collaborative - so all contributions are tax-deductible.

CHECK OUT THE REWARDS!

We've got a bunch of great rewards listed on the right - cool ways for us to say THANK YOU - that you won't find anywhere else. And as we hit our interim funding goals, we'll release some extra-special treats. Above all, know that at any level your pledge will bring us that much closer to the future we all want to build for our kids.

Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about our project, or ideas for ways to make it a reality! From all of us here at the Worse Than Poop! project - THANK YOU!!

Risks and challenges

The biggest concerns people generally have about a film project are a) will it get finished? and b) will anyone see it?

I have a solid track record in both finishing and promoting educational films, including being a member/owner of New Day Films (www.newdayfilms.com). I directed and produced a 60-minute documentary for PBS (The Insular Empire: America in the Mariana Islands), in the days before crowdfunding, with a budget of $400,000. Finishing this film will be a piece of cake by comparison! Plus, Elliot keeps pushing me to finish Worse Than Poop! (He's just as tenacious and worried about climate change as I am - I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.)

To make sure Worse Than Poop! gets wide viewership, I will work with science educators at the elementary level; educational specialists at Edutopia; Eugene Cordero and the Green Ninja team at SJSU; my contacts in the educational media world; and the network we've built creating this campaign. With all this input and support, I will create a robust distribution strategy to make sure the film gets screened in schools, at festivals, and online. We are also starting to think about the transmedia possibilities for Worse Than Poop!

Elliot's future depends on all of us getting out of our pooping cars, so I couldn't be more motivated to finish this film, and to get as many kids and parents to see it as possible. (My secret goal is to get Elliot an interview with Stephen Colbert - so if you know anyone with connections on the Colbert Report, please let me know!)

Support

Select this reward

Pledge $5 or more
About $5

PEDESTRIAN CROSSING. Pledgers will receive a social media shout-out and all project updates - including exclusive new videos from Elliot, plus an email as soon as the film is finished. $5 will also earn you excellent karma, our undying gratitude, and a better chance for a cleaner, poop-free future. ALL CONTRIBUTIONS ARE TAX-DEDUCTIBLE.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $15 or more
About $15

KICK SCOOTER. Pledgers at this level will receive a Worse Than Poop! 'pooping car' ringtone! Plus exclusive video updates, a social media shout-out, and great karma. We'll also put your name in the website credits. ALL CONTRIBUTIONS ARE TAX-DEDUCTIBLE.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $25 or more
About $25

BIKE-SHARE. Pledgers at this level will receive a digital download of the film as soon as it's done - plus exclusive video updates, a social media shout-out, your name in the credits, and even more good karma. ALL CONTRIBUTIONS ARE TAX-DEDUCTIBLE.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $50 or more
About $50

SIGNATURE EDITION. Pledgers at this level will receive an autographed photo or drawing by Elliot, plus a digital download of the film, exclusive video updates, a social media shout-out, excellent karma, and your name in the website credits. ALL CONTRIBUTIONS ARE TAX-DEDUCTIBLE.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $50 or more
About $50

PUBLIC WORKS. Pledgers at this level will receive a full color book from PUBLIC BIKES, containing poster art on the theme of "public." The Public Works coffee table book features art by 27 world-renowned designers and illustrators, juxtaposed with thought-provoking quotes about public spaces and bicycles from Jane Jacobs, Albert Einstein, John Lennon, Margaret Mead, and even Michelle Pfeiffer! PLUS receive a digital download of the film, exclusive video updates, a social media shout-out, excellent karma, and your name in the website credits. ALL CONTRIBUTIONS ARE TAX-DEDUCTIBLE.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $75 or more
About $75

POOPING CAR! Pledge at this amount and we'll put your face in the animation, driving a pooping car! Plus you'll receive a digital download of the film, exclusive video updates, a social media shout-out, your name in the film and website credits, and a metric ton of great karma.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $100 or more
About $100

DISK BRAKES. Pledgers will receive a DVD of the finished film (plus DVD extras), in an eco-friendly green sleeve, and a Worse Than Poop! temp tattoo. Plus great karma, exclusive updates, a social media shout-out, and a thank you in the website credits. ALL CONTRIBUTIONS ARE TAX-DEDUCTIBLE.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $125 or more
About $125

GREEN NINJA GIFT PACK. Be a holiday super-hero - keep one DVD and give the others as gifts! Pledgers at this level will receive three DVDs of the finished film, plus 3 temp tattoos, a social media shout-out, your name in the website credits, and a whopping dose of good karma to share with your friends & family. ALL CONTRIBUTIONS ARE TAX-DEDUCTIBLE.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $150 or more
About $150

CAR-SHARE. Elliot will record your outgoing voice message! In English or Spanish (or both). Plus receive a digital download of the film, exclusive video updates, a Worse Than Poop! temp tattoo, a social media shout-out, great karma, and your name in the website credits. ALL CONTRIBUTIONS ARE TAX-DEDUCTIBLE.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $250 or more
About $250

CRITICAL MASS. Your (or your child's) face in the animation - walking, scooting, or riding a bike! Plus a digital download of the finished film, exclusive updates, a social media shout-out, and your (or your child's) name in the film and website credits.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $500 or more
About $500

ELECTRIC VEHICLE. Your (or your child's) face in the animation, riding a bike or driving an EV! Plus a DVD and digital download of the film, exclusive video updates, a Worse Than Poop! ringtone, temp tattoos, a social media shout-out, and your name in the film and website credits. Plus lots of good karma - and ALL CONTRIBUTIONS ARE TAX-DEDUCTIBLE.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $1,000 or more
About $1,000

TESLA ROADSTER. Skype interview with Elliot! Elliot and Vanessa will do a Q&A with your class or community group (within one year of film completion). Pledgers at this level will also receive exclusive updates, 3 DVDs, a digital download of the film, a bundle of Worse Than Poop! temp tattoos, a social media shout-out, and your name in the film and website credits. ALL CONTRIBUTIONS ARE TAX-DEDUCTIBLE.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $2,500 or more
About $2,500

HIGH-SPEED RAIL. A videotaped interview with Elliot! (Must be within our EV's 100-mile driving range from Palo Alto, CA.) We will come to you, film Elliot asking you about yourself (or your cool poop-free car/house/gizmo), and we'll even edit it and post the video online for you. Plus pledgers at this level will receive 3 DVDs, a digital download of the film, a bundle of Worse Than Poop! temp tattoos, exclusive video updates, a social media shout-out, and your name in the film and website credits. And did we mention all that good karma? Plus, ALL CONTRIBUTIONS ARE TAX-DEDUCTIBLE.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $5,000 or more
About $5,000

SOLAR-POWERED AIRPLANE. Become an Executive Producer! Pledge at this level and get an Executive Producer credit, plus any & all of the above rewards. Please contact Vanessa Warheit for details. ALL CONTRIBUTIONS ARE TAX-DEDUCTIBLE.